Load carriers, such as bicycle carriers, for vehicles are widely used to provide the vehicles, such as automobiles, with an increased loading capacity. A bicycle carrier is usually mounted on the vehicles tow hook, an equivalent position at the rear of the vehicle, or on roof racks. Wherever the bicycle carrier is mounted, there is a need to readily secure the bicycle to the bicycle carrier especially before transportation of the bicycle in traffic environments. A bicycle which is accidentally detached from the bicycle carrier during transportation could cause a severe accident with another vehicle.
Bicycle support assemblies for securing a bicycle to a bicycle carrier are widely used together with bicycle carriers for vehicles. It is common that bicycle support assemblies use a clamping jaw to secure the bicycle to the bicycle support assembly. One such bicycle support assembly is disclosed in the International patent application no. WO 2009/065817 Thule Sweden AB. The clamping jaw of the bicycle support assembly comprises a first and a second jaw member which upon tightening with a tightening device, such as a rotating knob, are pressed together about a portion of a bicycle, usually the frame of the bicycle, to secure the bicycle to the bicycle carrier.
It has now been found that clamping jaws of the aforementioned kind have some disadvantages, especially when remotely operated using a wire mechanism. The wire of such wire mechanism generally tends to run inside of a support bar. It has been found that there is a severe risk that the wire is subjected to unnecessary high friction forces which requires the wire to have a high tear and wear allowance. This is costly and limits how the wire can extend especially for bicycle support assemblies. There is also a need for compact and space saving torque limiting mechanism.